A substantial market exists for visored caps of the type having a central, frontal area directly above its visors on which data is printed of which logos, company names and the representation of objects are examples.
Such data is applied utilizing a silk screen printer having a fixed rail or arm on which a flat platen is mounted which is substantially the size and shape of the area of the cap on which the data is to be printed. The platen is so supported that it is spaced above the rail with forward and rearward portions so exposed that a cap, when the front central portion of its sweat band is caught by the forward portion and the cap pulled rearwardly downwardly over the rearward portion, the frontal area is drawn into position on the platen.
Silk screen printers have rotatable heads or tables with each table having pivotable arms in radial support of silk screens each of which may be brought into contact with the frontal area of a thus positioned cap when the table is or has been turned to bring a selected screen into a predetermined position relative to the rail and the platen is appropriately positioned thereon to be in the path of that screen so that the ink pattern and color thereof will be applied to the frontal area of the cap.
When only a single color is to be applied, no problem exists but when two or more colors are required, the printing the caps of an order is customarily attended by an objectionably high percentage of rejects.
When multi-color printing is involved, it is the combination of the patterns of the different screens that establishes the wanted data. Unless the different patterns register in a precise relationship, the printed data is defective since color overlaps or gaps are readily apparent. The problem is that previously a slight movement of the frontal portion of a cap occurs when a screen is brought into contact therewith and while the existence of such movements has been recognized, all attempts to avoid them of which I am aware have failed to prevent them.